Phones to replace hotel keys

May 26, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

The key card could become a thing of the past after a hotel chain announced it would allow guests to access their rooms using their smartphones.

The technology, to be trialled at two hotels next month, would mean that guests could choose to avoid the hassle of checking in at the front desk. Instead, they would download an application to their mobile device that would enable them to open their door simply by holding their phone to a sensor.

Testing will take place for at least 60 days at the Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center, starting next month.

Bryson Koehler, an executive at InterContinental Hotels group, told USA Today: “The holy grail item for us is to simplify the room-key hand-off moment at the hotel. “We don’t need to burden people with additional items; it just clutters up their lives. The beauty of the smart phone is that they’ve already got it.”

Get the full story at Telegraph.co.uk

33 tips for your hotel’s social media marketing
02 Sep, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Booking engine becomes top requested PMS feature
02 Sep, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

IHG urging buyers to adopt dynamic hotel pricing
31 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Marriott’s take on corporate negotiating season 2011
31 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

PwC forecasts RevPAR grow for 2010/11
31 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

OTA merchant model continues to drain hospitality industry
30 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Challenges in pushing ADR, while OTAs are driving down rates
30 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Meeting planners transforming conference experiences into brands
27 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Agoda offers online registration for new hotel partners
27 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Ten steps to ease your hotel’s OTA dependency
26 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Most Popular Articles

A lot of consumers are social media fans of travel, but not travel companies
30 Aug, 2010 | Online Travel

6 free online PR tactics that deliver
30 Aug, 2010 | Internet Marketing

Do OTAs get PPC advertising?
30 Aug, 2010 | Internet Marketing

New TripAdvisor subsidiary to enter private hotel sale market
27 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

SEO versus PPC: Where’s your budget going in 2011?
01 Sep, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

The changing face of flight search sites
27 Aug, 2010 | Online Travel

Marriott’s take on corporate negotiating season 2011
31 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Google expands real time search of Tweets, Buzzes
27 Aug, 2010 | Internet Marketing

Why marketers often get it wrong with Facebook
31 Aug, 2010 | Internet Marketing

OTA merchant model continues to drain hospitality industry
30 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Economic Downturn

CWT releases 2011 travel forecast to clients
25 Aug, 2010 | Online Travel

U.S. hotel profit growth returns in 2010
25 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

IATA sees return of business traffic
19 Aug, 2010 | Online Travel

Hotels book more meeting, convention groups this year
19 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Hotel rate talks to toughen
17 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Air fares up, hotel rates down as business travel recovers
16 Aug, 2010 | Online Travel

Travel executives worry about fragile economic recovery
12 Aug, 2010 | Online Travel

The state of the global hotel industry
12 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Small-town weakness drags on U.S. hotel rebound
09 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

European hotel market recovery under threat
04 Aug, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Business travelers face tight airline capacity
03 Aug, 2010 | Online Travel

More business travelers told to get ‘lowest logical fare’
02 Aug, 2010 | Online Travel

The ‘new normal’ in consumer shopping behavior
02 Aug, 2010 | Internet Marketing

GDS ADR up 7.5% over 2009
29 Jul, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

Wyndham boosts 2010 outlook
29 Jul, 2010 | Hospitality Industry

HOTELMARKETING.COM